The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council is excited to open entries for the New Zealand Schools' British Parliamentary Debating Championships 2025.
The tournament will be held on the 29th-30th of November via Zoom. This is a fantastic opportunity to debate against students from around the country.
How to enter
The link to register is here.
This year, there is a cost of $25 per team. Please indicate in the sign up form if there is a barrier to entry and we can provide a fee waiver.
Entries are due by Friday the 14th of November. However, please register as soon as you are able to so that we are able to secure enough judges. If you need more time to organise your teams, please get in touch.
Who can enter?
Any high school in New Zealand is eligible to enter the New Zealand Schools' British Parliamentary Debating Championship (NZSBP). Teams consist of two students from Year 9 to 13, including Year 13 students who graduate in 2025.
Schools can enter as many teams as they would like. We may have to enforce a per-school cap, subject to judge availability. We strongly encourage schools to consider sending junior teams as well, and we would particularly encourage new schools to consider entering a team this year. NZSBP is a great opportunity for your students to develop their debating skills and compete against other like minded students across Aotearoa.
Saturday 29th of November
- Beginning of day 1: 8:30am
- 4 rounds of debating to be held for all teams
- End of day 1: 6:00pm
Sunday 30th of November
- Beginning of day 2: 9:00am
- 1 round of debating for all teams, and knockout rounds for top 16 teams (Quarters, semis, final).
- End of prizegiving: 5:00pm
Format of debates
Speaking times are 7 minutes, with 15 minutes to prepare after the motion is announced. Points of information (POIs) are allowed between 1 and 6 minutes.
In British Parliamentary style debating, there are four teams in every debate. Two teams support the motion, and the other two oppose it. On each side of the motion, one team will be the opening team, and the other will be the closing team. After the debate, the adjudicator will rank the teams from 1-4 based on how effectively they contributed to their side of the debate. This means that although you are on the same side of the motion as another team, you are still competing against them.
The British Parliamentary format is very popular internationally, so there are many guides on how to debate in BP style (See this guide for a more in depth overview of the format from last year). Examples of BP debates can also be found by searching 'WUDC' on YouTube. More detailed information will be given to teams closer to the tournament, and we will also be hosting an online coaching and Q&A session for participants prior to the tournament.
Please contact council@debating.org.nz if you have any questions or would like any further information.